Joanne
by wowstars
Summary: Post S2EP8. When Alex spots young runaway Joanne MacDonald on the streets on Christmas Eve, she decides to take her in. But will the kind-hearted teen have a happy ending? And a simple bomb case turns out to be something a lot more complex. Gene/Alex.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! I hope you enjoy this, I think it's a bit unbelievable though ;-) It's set after Series 2, and the first bit it set on 17th December 1982, then it goes to 24th (Christmas Eve!) There is no Keats or anything :) **

**This story is sort of inspired by the S3EP1 quote "You made things better then you left us", except Alex isn't the one who makes things better this time...**

**PLEASE NOTE: 1) I don't own Ashes to Ashes or any of the characters. 2) I do, however, own Joanne and her family :D 3) I'm slow at updating ;)**

**Sorry it's so short :)**

**Reviews make me smile :) xxx

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In Loving Memory

Chapter One

_One dark, cold, winter night, in a small flat just west of Londonderry, a young girl lies limp and lifeless on her small, hard bed. Her eyes sting red with crying, the sheets beneath her wet with tears and blood. The image of him above her, assaulting her small body, was still fresh in her mind. All she could hear was her mother's drunken cackle and all she could feel was Tony's breath hot on her neck. It was then that she made her decision; she had to get out of there. _

_Slowly, she gets off the bed. Careful not to make too much noise, she limps over to her school bag and empties the contents on the floor. She then goes over to the small cardboard box that is her wardrobe and picks out the warmest clothes that fit her. All she has is a pair of jeans with a huge hole in one knee, an old ripped David Bowie t-shirt her Gran bought her and an old paint-stained pair of her Aunty Eileen's joggers. _Aunty Eileen! _She thinks, _I need to tell her I'm ok. _Quickly she rips a page out of one of her school books and begins to write. _

Aunty Eileen,

I'm going to stay with a friend in London for a bit, so don't worry when I'm not over for dinner on a Sunday. I don't know how long I'll be there, but I'll be fine.

All my love,

Joanne

X

_She folds over the piece of paper and slips it into her bag with her clothes and purse. She doesn't have much money, but it should be enough for a cheap last minute flight and some food and water. Carefully she creeps through the front room and grabs her bright purple heels, casting one last glance at her mother and Tony before stepping out into the night. _

* * *

"You're nicked! Chris, Ray, cuff this poofter."

"Yes gov," Ray punches him in the stomach while Chris cuffs him, looking at him with a disgusted expression. They drag him off to the police car. Gene looks around for Alex. She's standing at the end of the room, staring off into space.

"Bolls?" She jumps and looks round.

"What?" She asks, walking towards him.

"We're off," he says, looking her up and down. They had been distant since she had woken up. Too distant. They no longer stayed up all night in Luigi's, chatting about everything and nothing, drowning their sorrows together. He never stayed at her flat when he was too pissed to drive home anymore. The only times they spoke were at work, and even then it was just short, awkward conversations that lasted barely more than a minute. Sometimes he felt like he'd imagined being so close to her. All those nights they'd worked late and fallen asleep together, all the secrets they'd shared, all the times he'd been so close to admitting he liked her more than just a friend were just old dreams now. He no longer felt he knew her better than anyone else she knew; she had become a stranger.

She walks past him and out into the Quattro and he follows, ready to help her if she slipped in the snow.

* * *

"Interview started at 11:35am," Alex says into the tape recorder. Gene rolls his eyes.

"You are David Norman, correct?" Gene says.

"Aye," he says, folding his arms and sitting back in his seat.

"Where were you at 11:30pm on 15th December?" Alex asks him.

"In bed, where do you think?"

"Can anyone confirm that?"

"No."

"Do you know a woman called Sandra Baker?"

"No."

"Really? Because she says she knows you."

David says nothing but looks uncomfortable.

"You know what I think?" Gene says.

"No, and I don't care either."

"I think you saw her in the pub, tried it on with her, she turned you down so you followed her home and raped her."

"No comment."

Alex scowls. _What a scumbag_, she thinks, _poor Sandra just got her life back on track, and then this bastard comes and does something like this. _

"You know, we know you did it," Gene says, leaning back in his chair.

"Prove it."

"We already have," he pulls out an evidence bag. "Sandra's underwear. Your fingerprints all over them," he pulls out a sheet of paper. "DNA test results that match yours." He opens David's file. "And, you've got form. Now tell us you're innocent."

"I think you're nicked," Alex smirks, standing up and exiting the room. She walks into the ladies toilets' smiling to herself but her smile soon disappears as she gasps in pain, clutching her stomach. She had been getting these pains ever since she woke up. She rushes into the nearest cubicle and locks the door, sinking down onto the floor. She pulls up her blouse and sees the tiny pink mark left by Gene shooting her. The mark that reminds her every day of what's been taken away from her. She knows she shouldn't care; it isn't real after all. But she still feels like if she ever did decide to stay here, if she ever fell in love, she wouldn't be able to give her man what he wants; a family. She gasps as another wave of pain shoots through her and she dives over to the toilet, throwing up violently. Wiping her mouth on the back of her hand, she stands up weakly and unlocks the door. She is just rinsing her hands when Gene charges through the door.

"You know this used to be the ladies," she says, walking over to the hand drier.

He gives her a quick scowl then remembers why he came in there in the first place.

"Bomb's just gone off on Arnold Road."


	2. Chapter 2

**Heyy everyone! I'm so sorry I took so long to update, some git robbed my memory stick! Please R&R. Love N xx :-D

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Chapter 2

She thought she'd imagined it at first, the loud crash that threw her to the ground. But when looked around she saw the devastation left behind from that tiny little car bomb, and she knew she had to help.

"Hello? My name's Joanne, can you hear me?" She feels for a pulse in the girl's left arm. Nothing. _Shit_. She begins CPR on her, just like they showed her at one of the many after school clubs she went to so she wouldn't have to be at home. After a few minutes the girl starts to cough and choke so she rolls her onto her side and stands up, looking round. In the distance a small red dot is making its way towards them at about 120mph, followed by several police cars and ambulances. She runs towards her stuff and shove it all in her bag. She can't stay if the police are going to come; they'll send her home, she's sure of it.

_

* * *

_

_Screeeech. _"Get out of the way you bastard!"

"Do you have to say 'bastard' in every bloody sentence?"

"Yes I _bastard_ do," Gene says, stepping out the car. Alex rolls her eyes and gets out too. Oh, how he infuriates her. But somehow he still manages to make her feel like she's on top of the world. Well, he had done, but now she only sees him at work. She doesn't know why she has distanced herself from him recently. Maybe it's because she's scared to love anyone again, scared she'd be torn away from them like she was torn away from her daughter. She'll never forget the excruciating pain that shot through her like a bullet the moment she realised she'd woken up here again, that she'd lost her precious daughter once more, and that this time she might not get back. But another thing she will never forget get is how the pain subsided when she saw him at her bedside. Of course, it didn't go away completely, but it was numb. And the smile that spread across her face was one that even angels would struggle to match.

"Welcome back Bolly Kegs," he had said to her, smiling at her in a way that made her insides melt like ice cream in a microwave. She had struggled to sit up and he helped her.

"Didn't think you'd be here," she said, looking around the room, seeing all her cards and flowers, and smiling again.

"Well you thought wrong then," he said, taking his hip flask out of his pocket and offering it to her. She accepts and takes a long swig, sighing as the amber liquid burns its way down her throat. She can taste him on the bottle and unconsciously looks up at his lips. He sees this and smiles to himself.

"Bolly! Get a ruddy bloody move on! We've got scum to catch," Gene shouts over to her. She sighs and walks over to him. "What does this mean?" He points at a bright green door with 'Quod non finem!' sprayed on it.

"I don't know, it's Latin," she says, frowning at it. "It could be 'it's not the end' but I'm not sure."

He stares at it, thinking hard. "Remember last Christmas, a bomb went off outside the town hall."

"Yeah, what's that got to do with this though?"

"Maybe it's the same person."

"But why wait this long?" She asks, frowning.

"I dunno, maybe he hates Christmas?" Gene says. "Wife buggered off or something?" Alex's radio crackles in her pocket.

"Ma'am?"

"Yes?"

"We've got a name for the car that the bomb was attached to, Thomas Scarlet. Lives at 8 Harvey Lane."

"OK, thanks Skip," Alex says, putting her radio back in her pocket.

"I think we'd better go and see Mr Scarlet, Bolls," Gene says, walking back to the Quattro.

_

* * *

_

"Oi! OI! Come back 'ere!" The shop assistant shouts. Joanne runs out of the shop, clutching the three things she has stolen, and down the street. When she gets to the alley she has been sleeping in, she stops and drops everything in her bag then sits down next to it. First she grabs the bottle of water and takes a long drink out of it, closing her eyes as the cool liquid travels down her throat. Next, she opens the packet of biscuits and takes one, deciding she could have one for each meal. Once she has finished that, she looks uneasily at the long blue box sticking out of her bag. She knows it's unlikely; she's 12 for God's sake! But she can't stop thinking about it. How would she cope? _I'm probably just being silly, _she thinks, _I'm probably just late because I haven't been eating much. _She leans back against the wall in the alley, her stomach growling hungrily as she gets a waft of pizza coming from the restaurant around the corner, and closes her eyes, falling asleep for the first time since she left home.

_

* * *

_

Gene raps on the door angrily. "OPEN UP! POLICE!" He shouts.

"Well it's obvious he's not in," Alex says to him, sighing. "We'll have to come back another time."

"If he's not in, then why is that light on," Gene says, pointing to the top window.

"Maybe he left it on by accident."

"Maybe Millwall will win the UEFA Cup!" He shouts. "If we don't catch this bastard now, he might try and bomb something else tomorrow."

"We don't know that it's him, and anyway, there was only one bomb last year," Alex says, beginning to walk down the steps to the Quattro. Gene follows reluctantly, sighing. They get into the Quattro and begin to drive back to the station.

"What are you doing tomorrow anyway?" Alex asks casually, even though her heart is beating like a drum.

"Getting pissed, same as I do every year, you?" He says.

"Same," she says. "Do you want to come over for lunch?"

He parks up outside the station, thinking about it. "Ok, you're on. You better have some decent scotch though."

_

* * *

_

Joanne walks out of Luigi's holding the test in her left hand and goes into the alley.

She sits down next to her stuff, trembling. A minute passes and she looks at the test. It very clearly reads 'pregnant'. She throws it across the alley, breaking down in tears. How could this be happening? _I'm too young, _she thinks, _but I can't get rid of it, even if I had the money I'd never be able to go through with it. _She sobs harder.

"Are you ok?" A soft female voice says. Joanne looks up her bottom lip trembling.

"N-no, b-but I'll b-be ok," she says weakly.

"Come on," the woman says, putting an arm around her and helping her up. "You can't be out here in the cold, it's Christmas. My flat is just round the corner in that little restaurant."


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the wait. Thanks for the awesome reviews, keep 'em coming! Hopefully the next chapter will be up sooner. Love N xxx :)**

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**Chapter Three**

Alex unlocks the door to her flat, her arm still around Joanne, and they go inside. She leads her to the sofa and sits her down.

"Would you like a drink?" She asks.

"Yes, just water please," Joanne sobs, wiping her eyes with the backs of her hands. Alex goes into the kitchen and gets her a glass of water.

"Thanks."

"No problem," Alex says smiling as the young girl sipped her water. "So where have you come from then?"

Joanne hesitates then answers. "Ireland," she says quietly.

"How?" Alex asks. "It's a very long way to go."

"I got a cheap flight. I wanted to go somewhere no one could find me. Not that they'll look."

"I'm sure your parents will be very worried about you," Alex says, smiling kindly. Joanne looks down sadly and shakes her head.

"No, my mum will be too drunk to even notice I've gone. I never knew my father; I don't even think my mum did either." She sighs, putting her glass back down on the table. She is silent for a minute then asks. "Are you going to send me home?"

_Should I? _Alex thinks. _She's clearly underage, so if I let her stay here it would count as kidnap. On the other hand, she seems like a sensible girl so why would she want to get so far away if she didn't have good reason to. God knows what she's been through, poor girl. I'll let her stay tonight and tomorrow night; she can't be on the streets for Christmas! _

"No," Alex says. "No, I'm not going to send you home. I'm going to tell you that I think you should go home and that if you want to I will pay for a flight, but I won't make you as I don't know your reasons for running away. And you're very welcome to stay here for a couple of nights while you decide."

Joanne smiles gratefully at Alex. "Thank you," she says. "I don't think I'll be going home though, I'd rather live on the streets than there. I'm Joanne."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Joanne, I'm Alex. Would you like anything to eat?" Alex asks.

"Yes, please," Joanne replies. "But only if it's not too much trouble." She adds quickly.

"It's no trouble at all," Alex smiles. "I'll go down and get Luigi to cook us something. Do you like spaghetti Bolognese?"

"Yeah."

"Ok, I'll be back in five minutes or so." Alex says, putting on her jacket and going downstairs, closing the door behind her. As soon as she is gone, Joanne begins to cry again. _Why is she being so nice to me? _She thinks. _I don't deserve it; I'm pregnant at 12 for God's sake! And why am I crying again? Hormones probably. And what am I going to do when she chucks me out? What will happen to my baby when it's born? I wish my life wasn't so complicated, then I wouldn't be in this mess._

* * *

Alex walks down the stairs to her flat and into Luigi's.

"Can I have two spaghetti's to take upstairs with me?" She asks Luigi. He smiles and nods, disappearing into the kitchen. She looks around and sees Gene sat alone at their table, so goes and sits with him while she waits for her food.

"Alright Bolls?" He asks, taking a large gulp of whiskey.

"Yeah, thanks," she smiles.

"Are you not having a drink?"

"No, I'm not staying," she replies.

Gene looks away, trying to hide the jealousy in her eyes. "Shagging some Thatcherite twat again, are we?"

She sighs and rolls her eyes. "No, I've got a girl up there with me-."

"I bloody knew it!"

"Oh for Christ's sake, grow up," she snaps. "I found a little girl living on the street and decided to let her stay with me for a bit while she decides whether or not to go home."

"You do know you could get done for kidnap-."  
"Well don't tell anyone then!" She says. _Time of the month, _Gene thinks, smirking into his glass.

"So I'm guessing Christmas dinner's off then," he says.

"No, you can still come if you like," Alex says, smiling. "I've got enough to go round."

"Scotch?"

"Bought some especially," she smiles.

"Ok," he pouts. "But I hope you bought more than one bottle, I intend to drink myself into a coma tomorrow."

She shakes her head disapprovingly.

"Signorina Drake, your food is ready," Luigi calls over. Alex stands up.

"See you tomorrow."  
"Night."  
She gets the food off Luigi and goes back upstairs. She opens the door in her flat and goes into the sitting room to find Joanne huddles up on the sofa, tears once more leaking for her eyes. Alex puts the food down on the table and goes and sits down next to her, wrapping an arm around her.

"Hey, it's ok," she says softly to her. "What's wrong?"

Joanne wipes her eyes with the back of her hand. "It's nothing, just stupid hormones," she says in her strong Irish accent. Alex smiles kindly.

"Ah, that's ok, I'll get you something," she begins to stand up.

"No," Joanne sobs. "It's not that kind of hormonal. I- I- I'm- I'm p-pregnant. I think." She buries her head in her hands. Alex sits down again.

"Oh," she says. "Is that why you ran away?"

"No," Joanne says. "I only found out just before you found me. P-please don't think badly of me. I know it's my fault. I- I just- couldn't s-stop him." She sobs louder into Alex's chest and Alex can't help but be reminded of the time when Molly had been bullied at school, though that wasn't nearly as bad as this. Molly had sobbed hysterically into her chest as she finally told her mum everything that had made her life hell over the past 9 months. Alex had been so angry at those girls, she had gone straight to the school and screamed blue murder at the headmaster that he needed to sort his school out. Then when she saw the girls the next day she went and had a go at them and their parents. How dare they make her daughter believe her life isn't worth living! She missed her daughter more than ever now and she finally realised why she had decided to help this girl – she reminded her of Molly. She then promised herself she would do everything she could to help Joanne, she had to.

"It's ok," Alex says gently. "You can stay here as long as you like, I'll help you."

"Thanks," Joanne sniffs.

Alex smiles. "Come on, wipe your eyes, our spaghetti will be going cold."


	4. Chapter 4

**Again, real sorry for the wait, Writer's Block is a pain in the arse. I hope you enjoy this, I'm trying to write longer chapter with more description in it. There more Galex too :) Reviews are welcome and they keep me motivated so please try and leave one :) **

**N xxxx**

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**Chapter 4**

_Alex struggles as she's dragged her by her hair to the centre of the bridge._

"_Gene! Gene let go! You're hurting me!"_

_He ignores her, giving her a sharp push so she falls to the ground. She fights back the urge to cry. How could he be like this with her? She knew he could be violent, and she knew they had drifted apart recently, but she would have never thought he would do this to anyone, never mind her! She bites down hard on her bottom lip to stop it wobbling and looks up at him. He is laughing in a way that isn't human. No matter how much he looks like him – this isn't Gene Hunt. But Alex fails to see this and tries to stand up._

"_Gene..." She begins, only to be knocked back down to the ground again. Single tear rolls down her cheek. He laughs again; louder now, beginning to climb up the side of the bridge._

"_Gene, no!" She yells. He takes no notice, laughing manically. Still cackling, he steps off the bridge._

"_NO!"..._

She wakes with a scream, but she isn't the only one...

* * *

_Joanne wakes up and immediately feels the warm sun on her face. As she sits up, she notices an unfamiliar feeling in the pit of her stomach. Happiness? Joy? Love? _

"_Mummy! Mummy!" A little girl runs into the room. She has long, wavy dark brown hair and beautiful hazel eyes. She jumps up onto the bed and into Joanne's open arms._

"_Morning sweetheart," Joanne smiles. The girl, whose name she remembers as Scarlett, gives her an envelope with the word 'Mummy' scrawled on the front surrounded with love hearts and stars, grinning. _

"_Alex helped me," Scarlett says proudly. Joanne opens the envelope and finds a homemade card with 'HAPPY 18 BIRFDAY' written on the front. Inside was a picture of her and Scarlett taken on Scarlett's 5__th__ birthday and 'I love you Mummy! Lots of hugs and kisses, Scarlett' and the rest of the card was covered in kisses and little hearts. Joanne grins and kisses her daughter's forehead._

"_Thank you," she says lovingly, stroking her daughter's silky hair. _

"_There are 273 kisses," Scarlet says matter-of-factly. "Alex's boyfriend counted them. It took him ages! He said it was because he kept losing bastard count." Joanne rolls her eyes. Alex's boyfriend had what many would call tourette's. He said it wasn't tourette's, it was '30-something years as a bastard copper'._

"_Did he now? I think I'll have a word with him about that," she says, standing the card up on her bedside table. "Right, you should be getting reading for school. Can't miss your first day back, can you?"_

"_I can, but you wouldn't let me," Scarlett says cheekily. Joanne laughs and gets off the bed. _

"_Go and get your uniform on and I'll make us some breakfast."_

"_Trying to catch, your heart is like, trying to catch, a star..."_

_Joanne sings along to her favourite song as she cooks her lunch. She is just sitting down at the table when the phone rings. But something about it feels wrong, dangerous almost. _

"_Stop being so bloody stupid," she tells herself, standing up. She goes into the hall and picks up the bright red phone. "Hello?"_

"_Hello Joanne," a harsh voice growls. She recognises it instantly and her heart nearly explodes with fear._

"_Tony?" She stammers. "Wha- wha- how did you find me?"_

_He laughs. "It wasn't hard. I didn't know you had a daughter, she very pretty, isn't she?"_

_Joanne's stomach flips. "You dare lay a finger on her, I'll snap your neck like a twig," she warns, sounding more confident than she actually felt._

_He laughs again. "I'd like to see that, too bad it's not her I'm after – it's you." Just as he says this Joanne turns to see Tony's face pressed against the window, the snake tattoo on one side of his face standing out and bringing all her memories flooding back to her. He bangs a fist against the window and it shatters, sending glass flying everywhere._

"_AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"_

* * *

She wakes with a scream, but isn't the only one. It takes her a while to remember where she is but then she hears footsteps coming towards her.

"Joanne? Are you ok?" Alex says, coming out of her bedroom.

"Yeah," she replies. "Just a dream. You?"

"Just a dream," Alex smiles. She looks at her watch. "Do you want some breakfast?"

"Yes please," Joanne says. Alex goes into the kitchen, thinking about her would never do that, would he? Maybe it was a message from her subconscious trying to tell her something – but what? She chucks some rashers of bacon in a pan and butters two bread rolls, still thinking hard. _Maybe I shouldn't have invited him to Christmas dinner, _she thinks. _But I can't tell him not to come now. _She flicks on the kettle.

"Do you want tea or coffee?" She shouts to Joanne.

"Tea, please," she replies.

"Sugar?"

"Five, please."

Alex smiles as Gene's shouts of "Granger, tea five sugars" fill her head. A warm feeling spreads through her stomach. She doesn't know why, but whenever she thinks about him or is with him, all the pain from losing her daughter is gone. Something about him just makes her happy. It was the same sort of feeling she got when she first met Pete. But she didn't really love him, did she? She hated to admit it, but she did. And he pissed in her face. But if she really loved Pete, what does this mean about her feelings for Gene?

* * *

"Bugger! Oh, for Christ's sakes!"

Gene swears loudly to himself, trying to wrap the present he'd brought for Alex even half-decently. After his seventh attempt, it still looked like a plate of dog food, and he was running out of paper! He decided to have one last crack at it before going to have a shower and pick out something to wear to Alex's.

* * *

An hour later Gene arrives at Alex's flat. He knocks on the door and Alex opens it with a huge grin.

"Merry Christmas!" She says as he walks in.

"Merry Christmas Bollykecks," he says. He goes through to the sitting room and sees a girl, sat on the sofa. She has long, black, curly hair and a fringe. She is wearing some old-looking torn light blue jeans, and an old David Bowie t-shirt, also torn. He assumes this is the girl Alex has taken in off the streets. "Merry Christmas, love," he says to her. She turns around and smiles back. She has hazel eyes, just like Alex's, and they're slightly red from crying. Her face is thin and he can see several faded scars across it. _Battle scars? _He wonders. The haunted look in her eyes tells him that she has been through a lot.

"Merry Christmas," she says in her strong Irish accent. Gene resists the urge to ask her if she's seen a leprechaun lately. "You must be Gene." She stands up, holding out a hand to him. "I'm Joanne."

"Good to meet you," he says, shaking her hand. Alex comes through from the kitchen.

"Lunch's almost ready," she says, smiling. She has a bit of flour in her hair and her face is slightly red from the heat of the oven. She looked bloody gorgeous! Gene would never admit this, but she took his breath away. "Gene, can you come and help me with the turkey."

"Yeah, er, ok," he says, following her into the kitchen. He feels like a poof. Gene Hunt helping out in the kitchen! He's sure he's gone soft. But he knows it's just because he wants to be with his Bolly. He doesn't know how he'll be able to keep his hands off her, but somehow he manages. He cuts the turkey then puts it all on a plate and puts it on the table with all the other food Alex has prepared. It looks glorious. If he was honest, he'd only expected a takeaway meal from Luigi's. But she'd cooked a proper Christmas dinner.

"Didn't know you could cook Bolls," he says, going back into the kitchen. "You sure it's safe to eat." She hits him playfully with the tea towel she's holding, unable to hold back a smirk.

"You cheeky git," she pouts. "Get Joanne to come through, it's almost ready."

* * *

"Well, maybe you're not such a bad cook after all," Gene says after they have all finished their meals.

"Thanks," she beams at him. She looks over at Joanne, who has gone slightly green.

"Joanne, are you ok?" She asks. Joanne opens her mouth to answer then runs off to the bathroom, throwing up violently.

"Charming," Gene says. He opens his mouth to comment about her cooking but she throws him a warning look so he decides against it.

"She's pregnant," Alex says quietly. "That's why she's being sick."

"Pregnant!" Gene splutters, eyebrows shooting up so fast it's a wonder they didn't fly off. "She's only 13!"

"12 actually," Alex mutters. Gene's eyes go wide with disbelief.

"Are you sure she's pregnant," he asks. "I mean, isn't she too young to be doing that sort of stuff."

"That's what I thought, but she's told me everything," she lowers her voice. "Her mother's boyfriend raped her, and her mum was watching it like a comedy movie. That's why she ran away." Gene looked shocked. He'd come across some scum in his time, but never this. Who would do that to their own daughter? He didn't know why, but he found himself caring for this girl. She seemed nice enough. _Maybe my paternal instinct is finally kicking in, _he joked to himself. He suddenly remembers the present he bought for Alex.

"Oh, I, er, got you something," he says awkwardly, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a long, poorly wrapped package. He gives it to her.

"Gene, you didn't have to," she says, touched. She tears off the wrapping to reveal a rectangular velvet box. She opens it to see the most beautiful necklace she's ever seen. Her eyes well up with tears. "Oh, Gene."

"It's not that bad!" He says defensively, seeing her tears.

"No," she smiles. "It's beautiful."

"Well, try it on then," he says, smiling back. She quickly puts it on, grinning, and goes to look at in the mirror. _It's amazing! _She thinks, beaming. _Oh, I love him so much. _Her face falls and she frowns at herself. _Did I just think what I think I thought? Oh my god, I'm in love with my DCI. No I'm not, I'm just pissed. That's it. _But when she looks over at her glass it's only half empty, and she hasn't had any refills. _I think I'll forget about this, _she decides, embarrassed at herself. She goes back through to the table and gives Gene a quick hug.

"Thank you so much, Gene. It's wonderful."

"You're welcome Bolls," he smiles, looking straight into her beautiful hazel eyes. She stares back for a moment, lost in his gaze, but then looks away. He looks away too, taking a deep breath. Joanne comes back in, clutching her stomach.

"Don't worry, I cleaned up," she says to Alex.

"Oh, you didn't have to, Joanne," Alex replies.

"It's ok, I'm good at clearing up stuff like that," she smiles weakly. Gene stands up.

"Just off to the little boy's room," he says.

"Ok," Alex says. "Put the seat down when you're done!" She calls after him. She and Joanne sit in silence for a while, and then Joanne speaks.

"You like him, don't you," she says, smirking.

"No I don't!" She splutters a tad too quickly, unable to hold back a smile. Joanne raises her eyebrows. "He's my DCI. It wouldn't be appropriate."

"He seems to like you."

"We're just good friends," Joanne grins. "Seriously! The super wouldn't like it."

"And?" Joanne says. Alex looks at her for a moment then shakes her head.

"You're as bad as Luigi, you are," she sips her wine. Gene comes back in and they stop talking. But Alex can't help but think, what if...?


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for taking so long with this, I've been doing a lot of planning this month because I knew what was going to happen in this story, but I needed to work on it a bit. This chapter might seem a bit pointless, but it's essential to the story :) Any mistakes are my own, and reviews are very welcome :P I promise there will be a lot more Galex in the next chapter ;) **

**I don't own Ashes to Ashes :'(**

**N :-) xxx**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

It was cold in CID, and everyone was tired and in need of painkillers for their New Year hangovers. Alex wanders in, finding it difficult to keep her eyes open, followed by Joanne. Gene had agreed that she could come with Alex and help Shaz with files and typing, so Shaz could get more involved in the cases. Alex quietly sits down and Joanne goes and sits with Shaz.

"You ok Shaz?" Joanne says, putting some fresh paper in her typewriter.

"Yeah," Shaz replies, handing Joanne a small pile of reports for her to type. "Good New Year?"

"Yeah, I just stayed in Alex's flat and watch TV while she was in Luigi's, you?"

"Yeah, did about the same as you really, stayed in with a bottle of wine," she chuckles.

"Granger! Eight sugars!" Gene shouts on his way into his office. "It's like bloody Iceland in 'ere!"

"Heating's shot it, gov," she says.

"I'll do it," Joanne says to Shaz. "Want one?"

"Black, no sugar please."

Joanne scurries off to the kitchenette. Alex looks over at her friend. She never used to have black, no sugar, did she? There's something different about her too, but what? She can't quite put her finger on it. Joanne comes back with the coffees and she looks away, missing the worried look on Shaz's face as she takes a mouthful of coffee.

* * *

"Bolly, wake up! This isn't bloody special branch!" Gene slams his fist down on her desk and she jumps awake. "Hostage situation, St. Benedict's Lane. We need everyone, apparently there a lot of them. Shaz, stay here with Jo and we'll radio through their names, find out as much as you can about them."

"Yes gov," Shaz says. Alex sighs, rubbing her eyes and standing up, grabbing her jacket and following Gene out. The dull ache in her stomach was starting again, but she chooses to ignore it. She doesn't want to appear weak.

* * *

The Quattro screeches through the streets on London, closely missing several pedestrians, and stops a few streets away from the bridge. Gene gets out of the Quattro and everyone gathers round.

"Right, give them ten minutes cry then shoot them. They're armed though, so be careful." He loads up his gun. Alex gasps as the ache in her lower stomach turns into a sharp pain, like she was being shot all over again. Gene mistakes this for her thinking he's going to shoot her again, and looks away, the guilt threatening to bring tears to his eyes. _Poof._ He takes a deep breath.

"Let's go," he says. "Come on Bolls."

He leads them through the streets to the location of the hostage, but is surprised with what they find.

"There's no one here!" Gene shouts furiously. "We've been stitched up like kippers! Bastards!"

"Are you sure we have the right address?" Alex asks.

"St Benedict's Lane, underneath the bridge. Yeah, it's right," Chris says.

"Bloody kids," Ray shakes his head, putting his gun away and pulling out his cigarettes. Terry and Bammo do the same and Alex rolls her eyes.

"Well this was bloody pointless," Gene says. He gets out his radio. "Viv, trace the number that reported the hostage. We're going to pay him a little visit before we come back."

"I already know the number, it came from the phone box just outside the station," Viv says. "Sorry."

"Bugger. Oh well, pub?" Everyone cheers in agreement as the walk back to where they left the cars.

"Hang on," Alex stops. "Viv said the call came from a phone box, right outside CID."

"Yes," Gene says. "So what?"

"So, whoever made the call, could be at CID, and could've wanted us out for a reason."

Gene thinks about it for a moment. "Shit."

* * *

"Where do you want me to put these, Shaz?"

"Oh, just put them on the gov's desk," Shaz replies. Joanne goes into Gene's office and put the reports on his desk. She then goes into the kitchenette and comes out with some biscuits.

"Want one?" She offers them to Shaz.

"No, I don't feel too well."

"You haven't had anything today, though. You'll probably feel better for eating something." Shaz hesitates for a second then picks up a biscuit, and puts it in her mouth. Joanne takes one too and puts the packet down on the desk.

"Sha... ook... D... ca... ul..." Shaz's radio crackles.

"Gov?" She says into it, twisting the nozzle on the side.

"... as... one... ome..."

"Gov, I can't hear you."

"...stard ...eeds ... teries..."

Shaz sighs and chucks the radio back down on the table. "These radios are absolutely useless," she says, picking up the packet of biscuits and eating another one.

"Are there any more reports need typing up?" Joanne asks.

"Not in here," Shaz says. "Go ask Viv."

Joanne stands up, brushing biscuit crumbs off her jeans, and goes in search of Viv. He's in his usual position behind the desk.

"Hey Viv, need anything typing up?"

"No, love, not at the moment," he replies. "Did you get that message from the gov?"

"No, I don't think his radio is working."

"Oh, I thought it was mine," Viv chuckles. "It can't have been that important or he'd be back by now."

Joanne smiles and goes back through to CID, and bumps right into Shaz.

"Oh... Joanne," Shaz smiles. "I'm just off to the loo. Won't be long." She runs off and Jo sits down. She picks up the packet of biscuits, but it's empty. _Odd, _she thinks, _I thought I picked up the full packet. _She turns on the radio instead and hums along to _The Model _by _Kraftwerk. _After 15 minutes she goes to look for Shaz.

"... Sorry... Ugh..." Joanne goes into the ladies toilets to hear the sound of Shaz retching, but nothing coming up. It was an awful sound.

"Shaz? Are you ok?"

Shaz sniffs. "Yeah," she shouts. She unlocks the door and comes out. "I think I've got a bug."

"You should go home then, don't want to spread it round," Joanne says kindly. Shaz looks awful. Her face is as white as a sheet and her eyes are red and watery. Her nose is running and her hair is a mess.

"No, I'll be fine," she says, going to wash her hands. Joanne notices her index and middle fingers are swollen, and have what look like teeth marks on the knuckles, but says nothing. They walk back into CID together to find a man in Gene's office, rummaging through his filing cabinets.

"Can I help you?" Shaz says, frowning.

"No. Keep walking sweetheart," he says, not even looking up. He is a tall man, with shoulder length black hair. He is wearing a long black leather coat and a suit.

"I don't think you should be in there, my DCI wouldn't like it." He ignores her.

"Excuse me! I'd like you to leave, now please," she raises her voice. The man still ignores her. "Jo, go get Viv."

Joanne runs off to find Viv, and Shaz approaches the intruder. She grabs his arms and pulls them behind his back, reaching for her cuffs.

"Big mistake, little girl," he growls, breaking free and grabbing her, a tight arm around her neck. "Where's the evidence room?"

"Let go of me!" She screams, elbowing and kicking him. Jo comes back through, along with Viv, and the rest of CID.

"OY! Let her go!" Chris shouts, pulling out his gun.

Shaz struggles again and manages to get out of his hold. She runs over to Chris. The man smiles menacingly, and pulls out a gold pocket knife. The man's expression is blank, but in his eyes is fear.

"No. NO!"

It was too late.


	6. Chapter 6

**Wow, it's been so long since I last updated! I've had really bad writers block and zero motivation but I managed to finish this chapter at last! I actually planned for there to be a bit more Galex action in this one but I couldn't really fit it in so that will be coming up soon ;) **

**Hope you enjoy :)**

******N xxx**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Chris opens one eye. It's still dark. He closes it again. Then he hears a noise. He opens both eyes this time. He reaches out next to him. Nothing. He frowns, confused. He could have sworn Shaz wasn't on a night shift tonight. He hears another noise. It's different this time. The first one was more like a door closing. Now it was like someone coughing or something. Yes, that's it. He sits up. He has to see his wife-to-be is ok. He tiptoes over to the bathroom door and knocks gently.

"Shazza," he whispers. She stops mid cough. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah," she croaks. Her voice is hoarse. The toilet flushes and about thirty seconds later she opens the bathroom door. Her eyes are bloodshot and watery and her lips bright red.

"I think I've got a chest infection. I'll go to the doctor's tomorrow baby. I'm gonna go back to bed now. I'm really tired. I think it's because I'm on my period."

Chris winces. "Thanks for that! You know I don't like blood."

She chuckles and strokes his cheek tenderly. "Awww. I love you. Night." She smiles and goes back into their bedroom.

Chris goes into the bathroom for a piss. Ahh. That's better. As he's washing his hands, his eyes fall on Shaz's sanitary towels. That's odd. She bought that pack months ago. He remembers because the box had been ripped on the bottom, and Shaz had tried to get a refund, and almost got a slap for it. The box wasn't even opened. Oh god she's pregnant. No. I'm probably just over thinking things because I'm tired. I need sleep. He goes and crawls in next to Shaz, wrapping his arms around her lovingly and resting his hands on her flat stomach, stroking the sharp bones of her hips with his thumbs as he falls into a deep sleep.

* * *

Alex sits at the table in her flat. It's 3am, she has dark circles under her eyes and her head feels like it's going to explode. She stares over her notes again and again. Still nothing. No idea as to why that man did what he did. To whom he was.

She glances over at the sleeping girl on her sofa. Jo looked so peaceful when she was asleep. She looked like a normal 12 year old. No stress lines. No haunted eyes. No morning sickness.

Alex sighs, resting her head down on the table. How she wishes she could be with her daughter again. But for now she would have to deal with this world. Focus on the positives. Well, try at least. Most were outweighed by the fact her daughter wasn't there. Though there are a few things she enjoys about this world...

* * *

"Bolly!" Gene thunders from his office. "Here!" She jumps and rushes into his office.

"What?" She asks.

"Look at this." He throws a file over to her and she catches it.

She skim reads over it. "I don't understand. Was this man something to do with our mystery suicide?"

"No, but it's the same thing," he says. "Look, 'caught rummaging through medical records, slit his throat on the spot with a gold pocket knife.' And look." He points at the post mortem photos. "See how it is cut in the exact same way, same depth and angle. It's almost like they were taught to do this."

"So you think there are more of these people. Enough that these two wouldn't know each other?"

"I don't know. I hope not, otherwise this will be more difficult than first thought." He sighs. "How's the kid?"

"She's fine," Alex says. "She got a bit of a fright from it all. She's not feeling too well today so she's coming in after lunch."

"Ok," he says, picking up his glass of scotch. "There's a little lass in the cells, thought you'd be better interviewing her. She's 13, in for possession. Bammo's sitting with her; she's a high suicide risk."

She nods, turning for the interview rooms. She sighs. So young, she thinks. Almost Molly's age. She enters the interview room, nodding at Bammo that it's ok to leave now. The girl is pacing back and forth in the room, wringing her hands together. She is thin and blonde, and the first thing Alex notices is the deep red scars all the way up her arms. Over healed scars that stuck out from her pale skin.

"Hello," Alex says kindly. "I'm Alex. Can you tell me your name?"

The girl shakes her head, still pacing. She is mumbling and her eyes are darting around the room as though she was trying to catch something out.

"Have you taken something?" She asks. "It says here you're in here for possession of cannabis."

She shakes her head again, her mumbling getting louder.

"...I took 156 painkillers... Then I end up here... Why... I need to help her..."

Alex stands up and gently holds the girl still. The girl looks up at her and immediately bursts into tears, throwing her arms around her.

"Hey, it's ok," Alex says gently. "What's wrong?"

"It's just nice to see a familiar fa-" the girl cuts off, frowning, and then shoots across to the other side of the room faster than lightning. "No," she shakes her head, her bottom lip wobbling. "You're- you're- I'm-" she sinks to the floor, hugging her knees as tears roll down her chalk white cheeks.

Alex stands still for a minute, trying to make sense of this poor young girl. What does she mean? Alex was pretty certain that she had been smoking the weed, what other explanation would there be for her bizarre behaviour? And she seemed to know Alex. But how?

"Sorry, do you know me?" Alex asks, taking a couple of cautious steps towards the girl.

The girl nods. "Yes. You're Molly's mum," she says. Alex freezes.

"What? How do you know that? What do you know about my daughter?"

"I saw your picture on the news," she says, looking up and wiping her eyes. "Molly is in my year at school. We're friends."

Alex's motherly protectiveness instantly kicks in. "You better not be getting her into that bloody stuff," she says sharply.

"No," the girl says. "No of course not, she's the one that got me off it."

"Oh, and that's why you had some on you today, was it?" Alex asks sarcastically.

"Things are different here though, aren't they."

"There's still the law," Alex says, leaning back on the table. "How did you... get here? What happened?"

She swallows. "I killed myself," she says simply. Her eyes look haunted by what she has done. Like it fills her with regret. "And now I can't help Molly, like she helped me!" The girl starts to sob again.

"What? Why does she need help?"

"Because you're dead."


End file.
